Last Week's Shenanigans (10th December - 16th December)...

This week, despite having work, has been absolutely fantastic for me because it was the last week before I started my Christmas holidays! Woohoo! I've been seriously looking forward to having a decent amount of time off this year, and I'm finally going to have my wish come true. Mat and I picked up our Wedding rings on Friday, which also happened to be our anniversary! We only have about half a year to go before our wedding, and I'm super excited about it. On Saturday was Mat's birthday so we spent the day playing games and ordered some take out. All in all, a successful week leading up to Christmas!

I Read...

I Received...

- 'The Dollmaker' by Nina Allan: Netgalley (14/12/18)
- 'Monsters' by Sharon Dogar: Netgalley (14/12/18)
- 'Enchantée' by Gita Trelease: Publisher sent ARC (14/12/18)

Mini Review: Starfighter [Ch. 2]; Hamlet Machine.

A definite improvement on chapter one, though I'm still a little unsure about this space-set M/m comic.

SOURCE: Internet
TYPE: Web Comic

TITLE: Starfighter
AUTHOR: Hamlet Machine
SERIES: Starfighter (Ch. #2)
PUBLISHER: --
PAGES: 69
GENRE: LGBT+, Graphic Novel, Web Comic, Erotica, Sci-Fi

RATING: 3.5/5 Stars

Blurb:
After surviving the most intense day of his life, young navigator Abel is harboring doubts about having started a romantic relationship with his quick-tempered squadmate, Cain. 

Stories of the fighter's volatile - and violent - past abound on the station, and it's proving difficult to separate truth from rumor. 

When an alien menace threatens all he holds dear, Abel must keep a clear head - but how can he concentrate when his thoughts keep returning to his mysterious new partner?

Overall Conclusion:
I had some issues with the first chapter of this webcomic because it contained a lot of non-con and dub-con, and that makes me more than a little uncomfortable. That's still present in this second chapter, but less so and I'm beginning to feel that there is a little more chemistry and a little less violence in this ship. The world-building is also more detailed, which is so much better! I'm very curious to see how the world that Hamlet Machine has created develops. I'm really hoping to see more plot and less sex in future chapters, but no one can fault Hamlet Machine's phenomenal artwork!

Last Week's Shenanigans (3rd December - 9th December)...

Christmas is coming! It really hit me big-time this month because I love this time of year so much. Every year, Mat and I have dinner with friends and it's become something of a tradition for us! That was the main thing we did this week and it was wonderful to get fully into the Christmas spirit! Soon my time away from work begins too, which is extra exciting!

On the same day I also volunteered for Active Newham, which was so much fun! It's a big part of my new role, and as Newham is my local community, it felt like a great place to start. The Festive Fun Run that they held was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to doing more of this in the future!

 I Read...

--

I Received...

- 'The Grass People' by Kay Parley: NetGalley (03/12/18)
- 'Evermore' by Sara Holland: NetGalley (05/12/18)

Memes...

Top Ten Tuesday: Perfect Winter Reads

Top Ten Tuesday: My picks for 'Perfect Winter Reads'.

I'm certainly what some would call a 'seasonal reader', and by that, I mean that I feel that certain types of reads are best suited to certain times of the year. I like Contemporary YA in the Spring, exotic destinations in the Summer, spooks in the Autumn and magical fairy tales during the Winter. Of course, some of these picks are helped along by the mentions of snow, ice or Winter in the title!

1) 'The Snow Child' by Eowyn Ivey. 

This book is the epitome of a wintry read. It's magical, wild, set during the Winter and incredibly sad at times. I said I like fairy tales at this time of year, and this is a good one.

2) 'Wintersong' by S. Jae-Jones. 

I really enjoy the movie 'Labyrinth' and find the Goblin King an intriguing character. If you feel the same then this is a great read! Again, filled with magic and strange creatures, set during the Winter and it gives real Hades & Persephone vibes too.

3) 'Wolf Winter' by Cecilia Eckbäck.

This contains less of the supernatural but is still a great read for Winter. It's a historical mystery, filled with atmosphere and tension and some very intriguing characters too. It focuses on the goings-on of a small community, as well as strange happenings around the area and is certainly a good read.

4) 'The Toymakers' by Robert Dinsdale.

This was the perfect book to read around Christmas last year as it evoked such a warm feeling within me as I read it. It's light-hearted but contains darker themes, focusing on two brothers at war over the future of a very magical, beloved toy shop. I was hooked from start to end with this one!

5) 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens.

Speaking of fantastic Christmas reads, most people have heard of this classic. Having read it, I can see why it's gained such fame! If you're ready to settle into a more traditional Christmas pastime and tell some ghost stories then I recommend this book for inspiration, especially with its happy ending.

6) 'The Mistletoe Bride' by Kate Mosse.

The title suggests a more Christmas-related theme than you actually get with this one, but I like this book for Winter all the same. It's a collection of ghost stories, taking place all over history and Europe. Each of them builds atmosphere really well and I really like reading short stories at this time of year.

7) 'Winterspell' by Claire Legrand.

This is the book I always think of one someone asks me about the best winter fairy tale I've read. It's based upon 'The Nutcracker' and is such a great read from beginning to end. Filled to the brim with magic, adventure, romance, and great characters, I think everyone should give this one a go if they can.

8) 'The Miniaturist' by Jessie Burton.

Again, more historical fiction! But this time we're heading to Amsterdam and I think I liked this as a Winter read because of it's cold, European setting. It contains a little bit of magic and mystery too which was nice.

9) 'Winter' by Marissa Meyer.

This might seem a bit of an obvious choice given the title but this certainly fits my fairytale category. It's the fourth in the series, so I would definitely recommend from the beginning if you haven't read them, but this final book ties everything together nicely and makes for a great read this time of year.

10) 'The Bear & The Nightingale' by Katherine Arden.

I love this book. It and 'The Girl In The Tower' are probably two of my favourite wintry reads! The snowy Russian setting lends itself well to the season, and it's filled to the brim with magic, spirits and creatures, and of course a handsome frost demon to bring the romance! Perfect!

Last Week's Shenanigans (26th November - 2nd December)...

It's been quite a busy week for me! First off, I'm on a career experience at work now that involves organising fundraising events for charities and groups of volunteers to attend them! I'm enjoying the change massively, especially when it comes to working with non-profit organisations. I can't wait to fully immerse myself in this.

Friday was Kiara's actual leaving do and it was a very emotional time for me. I will miss her immensely and I'm totally gutted that she wasn't allowed to stay as she had originally intended. I can't wait to keep working on things with her though!

On Sunday I travelled back to my hometown with Mat and we all went to visit my Grandparents for an early Christmas dinner! It was very nice to catch up with them all despite some issues with the food and I enjoyed spending some time in Kent seeing family.

I Read...

I Received...

- 'The Knife Of Never Letting Go' by Patrick Ness: Bought (28/11/18)

I Posted...

November Wrap-Up
Planned Reads for December

Planned Reads for December.

December is here! And I have a lot of high hopes for this month because I've actually got a substantial portion of time off! So here are the eight reads that I've got planned.

First on my list is Kendra Leighton's 'Glimpse', a retelling of the famous poem 'The Highwayman' and a book I had on last month's TBR that I really want to read. I have so many NetGalley books to catch up on and I'm trying really hard to work my way through them as a priority!

This next book, 'Feminists Don't Wear Pink & Other Lies' curated by Scarlett Curtis caught my attention as soon as I read about the Topshop controversy. I really want to read this because so many of my role models have contributed something to this book and I think it will leave me feeling super inspired!

Winter is the perfect time to read science fiction! Space is cold, and so is December! Okay, you can read sci-fi any time of the year but I really want to read 'The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet' by Becky Chambers. I've seen it described as Mass Effect in a novel. Yes. Please.

I'm also a really big fan of murder mysteries and 'The Last' by Hanna Jameson looks really cool! Sort of a cross between The Shining and And Then There Were None, I think this has potential to be a really fun read.

My next chosen book is special - I can't describe to you how excited I am to read it! 'Enchantée' by Gita Trelease is probably one of my most anticipate 2019 reads and I've got an ARC to read! How exciting!

The cover of my next pick, 'The Sisters Of The Winter Wood' by Rena Rossner is stunning. But beyond the illiustrations, this read looks creepy and filled with folklore/magical realism and that makes me very excited!

'Ash Princess' by Laura Sebastian is looking to be the one that got away from me this year and I really don't want it to be. The similarities to the classic fairy tale Cinderella are too cool looking for me not to read it! I really hope I get round to it this month.

Last but not least, I want to read 'Everless' by Sara Holland. I have had this on my TBR for some time, but it was one of the few books that my friend who has recently left for New Zealand (a) recommended to me repeatedly and (b) gave her copy to me before she went.

November Wrap-Up.

I'm very fortunate that I managed to finish up one more read before November ended, as it means that it wasn't a total disaster of a month. Honestly, I've really been struggling for reading time as of late, and I managed only four reads.

1. 'A Study In Charlotte' by Brittany Cavallaro. I started this off feeling that some of the aspects were a little bit off. The beginning chapters felt like a mass info-dump and were too rushed, and the concept of each family having all of it's members with the same personality over each generation was a bit peculiar. But I really got into it as the book went on - the mystery was cool, Charlotte especially was a great character, and by the end of it I realised I was hooked. 4/5 Stars.
2. 'The Saga Of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue' by Unknown. This served as more of a lesson on Icelandic history and Viking culture more than anything. I realised after reading that I knew so little on the subject other than big, bloodthirsty battles, Norse gods and funeral practices. But while I liked the educational value, the plot of the story was revealed at the very beginning of the book in a prophecy and I didn't find that aspect of it all that entertaining. 2.5/5 Stars.
3. 'Foxes Unearthed' by Lucy Jones. Anyone who knows me will probably be able to tell you I'm a huge fan of foxes. And I really wanted to learn more about them, so this book really appealed to me! I found that I did indeed learn a lot too: their folklore and stories, natural history and reputation all cropped up in this book. But parts of it were very skippable despite Jones's writing, as there was a fair bit of repetition. 3.5/5 Stars.
4. 'The Corset' by Laura Purcell. This book was so good and it's 100% in the running for my favourite read of the year. I loved it! It had a well-crafted story, felt researched and detailed, contained three-dimensional and well-crafted characters, and had me completely hooked throughout. The ending was a little short after all the build-up but I can forgive that as I still came out of this book blown away. 5/5 Stars.

This month I read three books for the Beat The Backlist Challenge, making my yearly total so far thirty five.

- A Study In Charlotte

- The Saga Of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue

- Foxes Unearthed

This month I read zero books for the Finishing The Series Challenge, making my yearly total so far one.

I read one book for the New Release Challenge, making my yearly total so far fifteen.

- The Corset

I read one book for the Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge, making my yearly total so far twenty three.

- The Corset

Here is the result for Pretty Deadly Blog's Bookish Bingo card.

Made Into A Movie: Lolita; Vladimir Nabokov
Middle Grade: The Dreadful Tale Of Prosper Redding; Alexandra Bracken
One Word Title: Folk; Zoe Gilbert
Fire In Title Or Cover: As Kingfishers Catch Fire; Gerard Manley Hopkins
Mystery: A Study In Charlotte; Britanny Cavallaro
Set In A School: Solitaire; Alice Oseman
Black Cover: The Hatch; Joe Fletcher
Space Or Stars: Starfighter [Ch. 1]; Hamlet Machine
Fall Release: A Sudden Light; Garth Stein
Freebie: --
Dual POV: Steve & Mark; Tab Kimpton
Scares You: The Twisted Tree; Rachel Burge
Legend Or Myth: The Saga Of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue; Unknown
Pretty Spine: Foxes Unearthed; Lucy Jones
Killers: The Corset; Laura Purcell
Less Than 300 Pages: Teahouse [Ch.1]; Emirain
Features Animals: Into The Jungle; Katherine Rundell
LGBT+: Heartstopper [Vol. 1]; Alice Oseman